Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organisations on suspicion of raising millions of euros for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement on Saturday.
The suspects are accused of sending about €7 million (US$8.2 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas”, the statement said.
Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, prosecutors said, describing him as the “head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organisation”.
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Hannoun is believed to have diverted over 71 per cent of the donations to groups directly controlled by the military wing of Hamas, according to Yahoo news website.
The European Union has Hamas listed on its terror list.
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According to Italian prosecutors, who collaborated with other EU countries in the probe, the illegal funds were delivered through “triangulation operations” via bank transfers or through organisations based abroad to associations based in Gaza, which have been declared illegal by Israel for their ties to Hamas.